blood pressure

As a smoker, I always thought that taking that edge off of my nicotine cravings helped to ease my nerves by having a cigarette. The habit/addiction led my brain to believe that having a cigarette calmed me down.

It wasn’t until I started attending my smoking cessation counselling that I learned that nicotine actually makes peoples’ blood pressure and heart rate higher. In fact, the nurses in this program check my blood pressure at every appointment to make sure it hasn’t dipped too low after quitting smoking. It was insightful and a welcomed change to SEE how quitting affected my blood pressure. Continue reading →